Educational building construction set



Nov. 17, 1925 1,562,006

H SICHTERMAN EDUCATIONAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION SET Filed Feb. 12, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F 1 L. l

, INVENTOR b ERMHN S/m/rE/Pn V ATTORNEYS Nov. 17, 1925' H. SICHTERMAN EDUCATIONAL. BUILDING CONSTRUCTI 0N SET T'IIEFEI- Filed Feb. 12,1924

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN SICHTERMAN, OF GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA.

EDUCATIONAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION SET.

Application filed February 12, 1924. Serial No. 692,277.

To all w 710m it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, HERMAN .SICHTER- MAN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Greensboro, in the State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Educational.

units-and arrange the interlockingportions thereof, that a great variety of different arrangements may not only be obtained with same pair of units, but also that such arrangements will be suggested by the configuration and appearance of the units; and another object is to providea system or set of units. all of which are of equal thickness and the interlocking portions, the width, and the length of such units are exact multiples of said thickness.

These and such further objects as low manufacturing costs, adaptability for quantity production, and durability of construction, will be apparent from the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof which disclose more fully, various illustrative examples of constructional units and the manner of assembling said units in accordance with the principles of my inven tion.

In the drawin-g Fig. 1 is a plan view of a unit for an educational building set constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of another unit.

Figs. 3 and 4 are side elevations of the units shown in Figs. 1 and 2 respectively.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are illustrative examples 4 of different interlocked arrangements which may be obtained with the units shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 8 is a different form of a unit.

Figs. 9 and 10 show examples of an interlocked engagement of the units shown in Flgs. l and 2, and Figs. 3 and 4, respectively with the unit shown in Fig. 8 and F igs. 11, 12 and 13 each show a unit the length of which is a different multiple of the width of the unit shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the unit- 10 which for clearness will be termed a male unit, has a central stem portion 11 whose width is exactly equal to the thickness of the unit. Projecting laterally from the stem portion 11, adjacent to each end thereof, and at a distance from the end of the un t exactly equal to the thickness of'the unit, is a pan. of arms 12, each arm portion and the pro ecting central end 13 forming a cube, the length of each side of the cubes being equal to the thickness of said unit.

The female unit 14 is preferably of exactly the same thickness as the unit 10 and each unit 14 is provided with a pair of notches 15 adjacent to each end thereof, which notches are of a depth equal to the thickness of the units and are spaced from the end of the unit a distance equal to said thickness, thus forming a projecting arm 15 which is a cube, the length of the sides of which is equal to said thickness and which projecting arm will fit snugly within a notch 15 of any other female unit. The width-of each of the female laggiits 14 is exactly equal to three times its thickness and the same is also true of the male units 10.

It will therefore be apparent that the units 10 and 14 may be placed in juxtaposition in interlocking engagement with one another, as shown in full lines in F ig. i"), to form a continuous surface, the arms 12 fitting within the notches 15. By arranging the units as shown in dotted lines at the upper part of Fig. 5, it is possible to leave open spaces to represent doors or-windows. As the notches 15 formed in the units 14 are just equal the thickness of the units, these notches may be engaged with any of the units at any part thereof so as to extend perpendicularly to the unit with which they are engaged.

Fig. 6 shows an example of a simple assembly or construction formed of a plurality of units 10 and 14, and Fig. 7 shows an example, in which a square pillar may be constructed of two units 10 and two units 14.

Fig. 8 shows a connecting block or unit 16 having a slot 17 therein, the width of said slot being equal to the thickness of the units and the length of said slot being equal to twice the thickness of said units. F ig. 9 shows the manner in which two of the units 14; are connected by means of their projecting arms 15 engaging within the slot 17 of the unit 16, while Fig. 10 shows two units 10 engaged by their lateral arms 12 within the slot 17 of a unit 16.

The length of the units 10 and 14 is preferably three times the width of said units although any length may be used which would be a multiple of the width. Figs. 11 to 13 show various forms of units which can be used to advantage to produce various combinations not obtainable with the units 10 and l-t. The unit 18 shown in Fig. 11 is four times the width of the units and is provided with the notches 15, and with a slot 19 whose length is equal to twice the width of the units. Fig. 12 shows a unit 20, five times the width of the units and having two slots 21 each equal in length to a unit width, and also provided with three sets of notches 15; while Fig.- 13 shows a unit 25, six times the unit width. said unit- 25 being provided with four sets of notches 15 and fori'ning in effect a double unit 14- which may be used to advantage for tying together two adjacent rows of the units 10 and 14.

It will be obvious that the length of the units may be varied as desired but that such length should preferably be an even or entire multiple of the width, also that the width and thickness thereof may also be varied, as long as the relationship between the width and thickness as heretofore described is maintained. The thickness of all the units preferably should be exactly the same. and the notches of the female units and laterally extending arms of the male units should be made equal to, or an even multiple of the, thickness, although on the larger units any number of such notches and arms may be employed. if desired. a number of the units llmay be provided at the center thereof with slots of a length equal to two or to three times the thickness of the units and on the larger units such as shown in Figs. 11 to 13 inclusive any desired number, arrangement or length of slots and notches may be used.

It will be understood by referring to Fig. 5 that the units may be cut from a sheet of material, the material preferred being a fairly compact form of paper or fibrous pulp, and that the dies for cutting out the units may be constructed to form the units 10 and let by a single operation, thereby eliminating all waste of material. As double length units such as shown in Fig. 13 may be advantageously employed for tying two interlocked rows of units 10 and 14 together, such units can be readily made by the use of the same dies employed for cutting the units 10 and lit, by making the dies for these units so as to out only one end edge of the units at a stroke, the units being severed from the sheet of material, it it is desired to cut units of three-width lengths, when the next row of units are cut; or if it is desired to cut units of six width lengths by reversing the position of the die.

After the units have been cut from the sheet of material they are preferably dipped into, or otherwise coated with paint, shellac, or varnish or other protective coating, and coating solutions of different contrasting colors may obviously be employed so as to permit striking and contrasting color effects to be produced in the assembled combinations or constructions.

It will be readily understood from the foregoing description that the combinations, designs, and constructions which can be assembled with a plurality of units construct ed in accordance with the principles of my invention can be varied almost withoutlimit.

I claim:

1. An educational building construction set comprising a plurality of units of equal thickness, the width of said units being an entire multiple of said thickness and the lengths of said units being multiples of said width, each of said units being provided will notches of a width and depth equal to said thickness, and said notches being spaced from the ends of said units a distance equal to said thickness, whereby said units may be interlocked together in cooperating engagement in various relative positions.

2: An educational building construction set comprising a plurality of male and female units of equal thickness, said female units being provided with notches of a width and depth equal to said thickness and said male units being provided with projecting arms adapted to be engaged snugly within said notches in interlocking engageu'ient therewith to form a continuous surface.

3. An educational building construction setcomprising a plurality of male and female units of equal thickness, said female units being provided with notches of a width and depth equal to said thickness and said male units being provided with projecting arms adapted to be engaged snugly within said notches in interlocking engagement therewith, said notches and projecting arms being spaced from the ends of their respec tive units a distance equal to said thickness, whereby said units may be interlocked together in cooperating engagement in various relative positions.

4. An educational building construction set comprising a plurality of units of equal thickness, certain of said units being provided with notches the width and depth of which are equal to said thickness, and other of said units being provided with units bein projecting arms the lengtliand width at.

of said units being provided with projecting arms the length and width of which is equal to said thickness, whereby said arms are adapted to engage snugly within and fill said notches to hold said units in various interlocked relative position, the length and width of said units being multiples of said thickness.

6. An educational building construction set comprising a plurality of units of equal thickness, certain of said units being provided with notches the width and depth of which are equal to said thickness, and other of said units being provided with projecting arms the length and width of which is equal to said thickness, whereby said arms are adapt-ed to engage snugly within and fill said notches to hold said units in various'interlocked relative positions, and certain of said units being provided with slots, the width of said slots being equal to'said thickness, and the length of said slot-s being multiples of said thickness.

7 In an educational building construction set, a plurality of units of equal thickness, certain of said units being provided with projecting arms, the length and width of said arms being equal to said thickness, and other of said units being provided with slots the dimensions of which are multiples of said thickness.

8. In an educational building construction set. a plurality of units of equal thickness, certain of said units being provided with projecting arms, the length and width of said arms being equal to said thickness. and other of said units being provided. with slots and notches, the dimensions of which are multiples of said thickness. p

9. An educational building construction set comprising a plurality of male and female units of equal thickness, said female units being provided with notches of width and depth equal to said thickness, and said male units being provided with projecting arms adapted to be engaged snugly with said notches in interlocking engagement therewith, the length and width of said units being multiples of said thickness.

10. An educational building construction set comprising a plurality of male and female units of equal thickness, said female provided with notches of a width and depth equal to said thickness, and said male units being provided with project ing arms adapted to be engaged snugly within said notches in interlocking engagement therewith, and certain of said female units being provided with slots whose dimensions are multiples of said thickness.

11. An educational building construction set comprising a plurality of male and female units of equal thickness, said male units being provided with laterally projecting arms, the length and width of which are equal to said thickness, and said female members being provided with notches the depth and width of which are equal to said thickness, whereby said projecting rm may be interlocked snugly within and till said notches. v

12. An educational building construction set comprising a plurality of male and female units of equal thickness, said male units comprising a central stem portion whose width is equal to said thickness and a plurality of arms projecting from said central portion, each of said arms forming a cube the length of the sides of which is equal to said thickness, and said female units being provided with notches whose depth and width respectively are equal to said thickness, whereby said central ortion or said projecting arms of said malg units maybe snugly interlocked within and fill said notches.

18. An educational building construction set comprising a plurality of male and female units of equal thickness, said male units COHIPIlSIDg a central stem portion having a pair of arms projecting laterally therefrom a distance from the end of said male unit equal to said thickness, each of said arms forming a cube length of the sides of which 1s equal to said thickness, and said female members being provided with notches the width and depth of which is equal to said thickness, and said notches being spaced from the ends of said female units a distance equal to said thickness, whereby a cubical projecting arm is formed on the end of said female members equal to the cubes formed by the projecting arms of saidmale members.

14:. An educational building construction set as set forth in claim 13, in which certain of said female members are provided with slots whose dimensions are multiples of said thickness, whereby one or more of said projecting arms may be inserted within said slots in interlocking engagement therewith.

15. An educational building construction set comprising a plurality of male and female units of equal thickness, said male units con'iprising a central stem portion having a pair of arms projecting laterally therefrom a distance from the end of said male unit equal to said thickness, each of said arms forming a cube the length of the sides of which is equal to said thickness, and said female members being provided with notches the width and depth of which is equal to said thickness, and said notches being spaced from the ends of said female units a distance equal to said thickness, whereby a cubical projecting arm is formed on the end of said female members equal to the cubes formed by the projecting arms of said male members, the length and width respectively of said units being multiples of said thickness. 16. An educational building construction set comprising a plurality-of units whose width is equal to three times thethickness thereof, said units being provided with projecting arms equal. in length and width respectively to said thickness and with a central portion adjacent said arms equal in width to said thickness.

17. An educational building construction set comprising a plurality of units whose width is equal to three times the thickness thereof, said units being provided with opposed notches, the depth and width respectively of said notches being equal to said thickness, and said units having a central portion between said notches equal to said thickness.

18. An educational building construction set comprising a plurality of units whose width is equal to three times the thickness thereof, said units being provided with notches and projecting arms, the depth and width respectivelv of said notches and the length and width respectively of said projecting arms being equal to said thickness, and a central portion adjacent to said notches and projecting arms whose width is equal to said thickness.

HERMAN SICHTERMAN. 

